Views from the Press Box: Indy 500… Disaster
Joe Johnson
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Editor’s Note: This Article originally appeared on our sister-site, VikingsTerritory.com.
The Minnesota Vikings and their fan base will not soon forget their visit to Lucas Oil stadium. From the beginning, it was a surreal experience being in an NFL stadium with only 2,500 fans, no food or bathroom lines, and fake crowd noise.
Here are my views from the game
DL woes continue
Knowing the Vikings were about to face a prominent OL after being outmatched the previous week at home against their hated rival Green Bay, that unit was looking to prove everyone wrong and bounce back.
This wasn’t the case even as newcomer Yannick Ngakoue did have a good performance against a familiar foe in LT Anthony Castonzo. The interior defensive tackles were no match for Quenton Nelson and company. The Colts executed their game plan to perfection. Following the blueprint left behind by the Packers, they dominated time of possession extending drives with the power of rookie RB Jonathan Taylor.
OL woes also continue
RG Dru Samia stepped in to replace much-maligned guard Pat Elflein only to find himself having an afternoon nightmare dealing with the likes of Deforest Buckner. Dakota Dozier also had his struggles in the interior allowing pressures to QB Kirk Cousins. The Vikings continue to not find the answers to resolve this problem with subpar guard play.
The Vikings offense looks obsolete
Another much-maligned player in the franchise Kirk Cousins gave his detractors more ammunition to keep the narrative regarding his value to the team. Going 11/26, 113 yards and a 15.9 QB rating illustrates the kind of day the Vikings entire offense had.
Constantly looking for his most reliable target in Adam Thielen and without much time to throw, Cousins faded into the shadows of Lucas Oil stadium. After receiving a big contract extension Dalvin Cook was heavily underutilized because the Vikings offense could not find a way to block for him. Colts LB Darrius Leonard was a constant menace stopping runs.
Rhodes and Rivers get their revenge
As the Vikings DL provided no pass rush Philip Rivers enjoyed a nice sunny Sunday afternoon in the park picking the Vikings secondary apart. TE Mo Alie-Cox replacing injured Jack Doyle was the benefactor of the Vikings’ confusion in the backfield. Meanwhile, Xavier Rhodes got the best of Adam Thielen on a couple of routes having a pass deflected.
A lot of questions to be answered were looming on the flight back to Minneapolis for Mike Zimmer and his coaching staff. The answers better come quickly before the 2020 season becomes only a sad memory for Vikings fans.